ANN DEMATTEO: Blizzards bring out the best in a good many of us

By Ann DeMatteo

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Unfortunate events, like last week's record snowfall, bring out the best in some people. While a few complained about the time it took for snow removal from state and municipal roadways, many others reached out instead to help neighbors shovel sidewalks and driveways and checked in on elderly neighbors to make sure they were warm and fed.

The acts of kindness continued throughout the state as municipal personnel in East Haven picked up prescription drugs for homebound residents. A Bristol man took in a stranger when her car got stuck in a snow bank, and AAA tow truck drivers, overwhelmed by the number of calls during the storm, could not respond until at least the next day. Members of the National Guard, deployed in Hamden to help clear streets, came to the aid of a woman who went into labor, but whose road was impassable.

So, as children made snow angels, many adults earned their wings serving as guardian angels to many in need during the storm that dumped about 3 feet of snow in the state and in its aftermath. I had several guardian angels watching over me. There's my perpetual angel, my Mom.

A special thank you goes to Curt, Bo, Eddy, Steve and Tom for arranging transportation for me to get to my chemotherapy appointment last week when my mom and I could not get out of our driveway. Angels are so often depicted as females. I'm calling these guys my "male angels."

But another winged creature comes to mind since we celebrated Valentine's Day last week, and that's Cupid. While loved ones showered significant others with flowers, candy and jewelry, others gave perfect strangers a gift far more precious than gold, gourmet chocolates or a greenhouse full of red roses. They gave the gift of life through blood donations.

I addressed this topic in a recent column, but I think it bears repeating, especially since the snowstorm trapped people inside for days and drew their attention to snow-related problems. That means donations are probably down this week, but the need for blood never diminishes.

"The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters and supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood," according to its website. I ask people to check the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org to get the list of upcoming blood drives in the state and show up to give that gift of life.

It's very important, because so many people rely on that gift, including me. As part of the cancer treatment process, many patients need blood transfusions to boost white blood cell counts and platelet counts. Without this generous gift, I and so many others would not survive. We would not have the strength to undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

So please be an angel and donate blood.

All this talk about guardian angels reminds me of the Jimmy Stewart classic holiday film in which a male angel named Clarence earned his wings. It also reminds me that despite all of life's inconveniences, like heavy snowfall, and life's tribulations, like battling cancer, it's the people in your life, family, friends and even good-hearted strangers, who prove "It's a Wonderful Life."

Former longtime Hamden and North Haven reporter for the Register, Ann DeMatteo is the managing editor of The Middletown Press. Friend Meg Barone contributed to this column.